


Red Like Rose Petals

by PhazonFire



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Hanahaki Disease, Jaune is a good brother figure, Kinda, Medical Jargon, Medical Procedures, Mentions of Invasive Medical Procedures, Platonic Lancaster - Freeform, Sibling Bonding, Unrequited Love, Volume 7 (RWBY), White Coat Syndrome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:00:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28082049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhazonFire/pseuds/PhazonFire
Summary: When Ruby's semblance begins to act strange during training, even the best minds in Atlas can't seem to figure out why. Unfortunately for her, things aren't quite as black and white as they seem--especially when she connects the dots between her lungs and her heart.
Relationships: Mechanical Rose - Relationship, Nuts and Dolts, Penny Polendina/Ruby Rose
Comments: 9
Kudos: 78





	1. First Blossom

**Author's Note:**

> Bro I finally wrote something again it's been like what, 12 years?

It started out with a cough.

What had begun as a tickle in the back of her throat escalated into a dry, hacking cough that Ruby Rose first attributed to the change in climate since arriving in Atlas. Whether based around a change in elevation or exposure to the rough temperature far different than the warmth she’d become accustomed to in Mistral for the past several months, the cause seemed to present as something environmental, sudden in its onset. Weiss, while not a doctor by any means, had suggested the possibility of a virus or cold instead, but the duration of Ruby’s cough had quickly ruled out that explanation.

Nevertheless, Ruby, never one to back down from an obstacle, pushed onward in her duties as a team leader and her ventures as a newly-crowned huntress, licensed and deployed in action in arms with her companions. Each day, she did her best to keep up with the onslaught of missions granted to her team by General Ironwood, devoted to bettering and protecting the citizens of both Mantle and Atlas alike. A simple cough wouldn’t stop her.

However, much to her dismay, the days ticked by in Atlas, and the dry hacking was replaced by discomfort. With each cough, Ruby could feel a shifting in her chest—not quite wet, as would be the case with mucus, but tangible and full, as if something was lodged in her lungs. Each cough had her doubled over, fits of hacking for well over a minute each wracking her body at all hours of the day. Each night, she would awake coughing, clutching at her chest in pain as her team sprang into action, brewing tea and working to make her as comfortable as possible in order to soothe her distress and help her back to sleep. Ever the optimist, she smiled through her pain, insisting upon continuing work the next day.

General Ironwood, in his concern, had relegated her to more domestic tasks without fighting or extensive physical effort, aiding Jaune in his crossing guard endeavors in Mantle or filing papers at the military headquarters up in Atlas. Ruby had initially reacted with frustration, but settled into a sense of gratefulness as it became more difficult to breathe with each passing day. General Ironwood had offered access to the medical expertise inherent to Atlas, but Ruby would only shake her head, insisting that the cough was on its way out at last.

Her condition came to a head during training.

Ruby had always seen training as a privilege, a method of decompressing productively after a long day of work. Exercise made her feel powerful and energized, and in the midst of her distress, she refused to surrender her number one method of stress relief—and the high-tech training grounds of Atlas Academy had offered a perfect playground. The Ace Ops had been accommodating of her medical needs, allowing for extra breaks between sparring and insisting that Ruby take rests in between physically demanding sets of swings and jumps. Even Harriet, despite her hard-headed approach, had slowed her pace to keep up with the little huntress’s diminishing speed semblance. Ruby often lagged behind her, the red blur of rose petals slowing to a wobbling mass of floating crimson. Each time, Ruby’s semblance concluded with stumbling and difficulty maintaining her balance—several times, she’d stumbled and crumpled to the ground instead, hacking her heart out and gripping her chest tightly.

On a particularly uneventful day, the protector of Mantle finished her duties early, her eyes excitedly set on watching her best friend in action.

Penny had skipped down the halls of Atlas Academy gleefully, elated to surprise Ruby with a sudden appearance at her training session. She adored seeing the huntress in action, equal parts serious and valiant in her admirable devotion to honing her skills. So, as such, when she threw the double doors to the training grounds open, she greeted the room with a beaming smile, eyes fixed firmly on Ruby as she twirled her scythe in steady circles.

Ruby took one glance at Penny, doubled over, and promptly vomited.

Her team, alarmed at the sound of Ruby retching, promptly came to a halt in the middle of their own training, their weapons clattering to the floor as they raced to her side. In an instant, Yang was behind her, pulling Ruby’s hair behind her ears and rubbing her back in slow circles as she coughed and gagged.

“Easy, sis,” she spoke softly. “Take your time.”

Weiss frowned. “I knew something was up. That cough never stopped. She definitely needs to see a doctor, no buts about it.”

“But the vomiting is new,” Blake offered instead. “If this was an elevation issue, would she be throwing up too? I think we can toss that possibility out the window, right?”

Weiss rolled her eyes. “I’m a huntress, not a doctor.”

“Guys,” Yang interrupted, eyes wide as Ruby raised her head at last. “This is gonna sound gross, but look.”

The girls followed Yang’s gesture down to Ruby’s puddle of vomit—or, at least, what should’ve been there. Instead, much to their confusion, there rested a haphazard pile of crumpled red rose petals, fresh and pristine despite their folding. Ruby’s own eyes went wide in turn at the sight, and she clapped one hand over her mouth reflexively.

“What...what exactly just happened?” Yang asked, dumbfounded. To her dismay, her teammates shook their heads, equally as confused as her.

“Gods, kid, what the hell is that?” a familiar voice called from afar, moving closer to the perplexing scene herself. Harriet raised an eyebrow at the sight, motioning with one waving hand for the others to gather round. Ruby’s face flushed in embarrassment—she wasn’t fond of showing weakness in front of such skilled huntsmen and huntresses.

“I don’t know, I was practicing, and my throat just tightened up, and I threw up on the floor, and...this happened.”

Team JNPR had rushed to the site of the commotion, their own faces worried and astounded at Ruby’s distress and subsequent sickness. Ren, in particular, had dropped to his knees, eyes fixed on the pile of petals rather than Ruby herself. With the tip of one of his guns, he nudged the petal clump, raising an eyebrow as the rose bits collapsed over one another anticlimactically. He threw a look at his own team over his shoulder.

Nora cocked her head. “You threw up rose petals?”

Ruby shrugged. Harriet knelt down beside Ren, eagerly inspecting the pile herself.

“You’ve been working yourself hard, kid. You’ve got that rose semblance thing, right?” she offered.

Yang continued her gentle back rubs. “She’s been really focused on training her semblance lately, ever since you mentioned something about it being different or whatever.”

The Ace Ops exchanged glances, silently communicating until Vine raised his hand. “It’s possible that her semblance is acting up in ways it shouldn’t, from overworking.”

It was Weiss’s turn to be confused. “I’ve never heard of that happening before. Are you sure?”

Blake shared her concern. “She’s right. I’ve never seen a semblance misfire like that.”

“What should we do?” Yang asked, her voice laced with concern as her sister rubbed her own throat.

Ren straightened up. “We need to get her to a hospital. She needs to be tested and inspected by a professional.”

Weiss crossed her arms. “Told you so.”

“Ruby?” a tiny, forgotten voice piped up from the entrance of the training grounds. With all heads turned her direction, Penny wrung her hands and fidgeted in place, almost afraid to move. “Are you okay?”

Ruby quickly straightened up, her face pale. “Penny? I’m fi—“

Her sentence was quickly cut off by another round of intense nausea. Once again, she doubled over, clutching her throat feebly as a fresh stream of rose petals erupted from her mouth once more, fluttering to the floor and settling into yet another neat pile. Each cough sent more petals flying from her lips, and no amount of back rubs from Yang eased the violent heaving. When the stream stopped, Yang rose to her feet, sweeping the little huntress up and into her arms bridal-style.

“Alright, we’re getting you to a doctor,” she said firmly.

Marrow stepped out from behind Harriet, pointing towards the double doors past where Penny stood, frozen in place. “There’s a medical bay on the third floor. Take her down there. We’ve always got staff on standby.”

Yang nodded, her feet already moving as she raced towards the exit, cradling her sister close to her chest. The remaining members of both her team and Team JNPR followed speedily, running as quickly as they could. Penny stepped aside, still too stunned and confused to follow as she watched the group disappear down the hallway. The distant sound of Ruby coughing tugged at her heartstrings.

She turned to the Ace Ops, eyes wide and worried. “What happened? Is Ruby okay?”

Elm shrugged. “She just started hacking all of a sudden. Threw up a bunch of rose petals. Really weird stuff.”

“We’re...not really sure,” Vine continued for her. “She’s been under the weather since she got to Atlas, and she’s been very sluggish at training lately. Her speed has decreased dramatically.”

Harriet scowled. “Do you know how hard it is to go slow on purpose? She was doing a good job keeping up with me before. First time I’ve ever seen someone do that, and now she’s slow again. Sucks.”

Penny resumed her fidgeting, moving unconsciously. “What should I do?”

Marrow shrugged. “Give her some space. Her team’s got her back. Give her some time for the doctors to check her out.”

Penny’s face fell, and she deflated, arms dangling helplessly at her sides. “Right. I’ll...leave her alone for a bit.”

With a sad gait, Penny turned on her heels, shuffling back out of the training grounds and out of earshot of the murmurs of the Ace Ops. Her mind raced with possibilities, some of them depressing to entertain, and her heart sank. If she had the capacity, she might’ve teared up. For now, she would be a good friend and give Ruby time to rest—even if the thought distressed her greatly.

She fought back the urge to race down the hall as well, moving to Ruby’s side and showering her with concerned affection as quickly as possible. No matter how she rationalized her distancing, the memory of Ruby on the ground retching in pain plagued her. She clutched at her own chest, her heart burning.

—-

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” the doctor spoke, slinging his stethoscope around his neck. “We’ll need to run some blood tests, and we’ll schedule her for an X-ray this afternoon. We’ll be setting her up on an IV, as well. I don’t want her eating or drinking until we get this figured out.”

“Needles? And no food?” Ruby whined, clutching the hem of her blanket.

Yang patted her shoulder. “It’s okay, sis. We’ll be right by your side.”

Ruby frowned. “It can’t be that serious, right?”

The doctor shook his head. “There’s a significant amount of wheezing. I could hear something in your lungs, too, but it doesn’t sound like phlegm. You’re sure it was...rose petals, you said?”

Blake nodded. “It was definitely rose petals. We think it might have something to do with her semblance.”

The doctor leaned against the countertop of the infirmary room, reaching for his pen and clipboard atop it. “Explain her semblance to me, in detail.”

“Ruby has a speed semblance. She moves really fast and leaves rose petals behind her when she does,” Yang explained.

“At least we think she does. The Ace Ops think her semblance might be a bit more complicated than that, but we haven’t quite figured it out yet,” Weiss interrupted.

The doctor scribbled furiously on the clipboard. “So the rose petals are a natural occurrence for her.”

“But not like this. Not to the point where she’s throwing them up,” Yang continued.

Blake nodded in agreement. “This only started when we got to Atlas. She was just coughing at first, but her cough kept getting worse. We thought it was the change in climate or suddenly being at a high elevation.”

“I grew up in Patch,” Ruby added feebly, her voice crackling. “It’s always been pretty warm. This is the first time I’ve had to deal with the cold, and Atlas is pretty high up. It made sense.”

The doctor tapped his pen against the edge of the clipboard. “Does anything in particular set it off?”

Ruby shook her head. “It just comes and goes. Sometimes it gets worse when I—“

Ruby stopped mid sentence, more petals suddenly rushing to her throat as she coughed, retching again onto the bed. The doctor raised his eyebrows in astonishment at the sight, watching with equal parts interest and concern as a storm of rose petals splattered onto the sheets. Yang resumed her back rubs, holding back her sister’s hair as she coughed. She raised her head, casting her eyes towards the doctor pointedly.

“Rose petals,” she repeated. “This is what we meant.”

The doctor nodded, plucking a petal from the pile with gloved fingers. “I’ll send these down to the lab. I want a full analysis of these as well.”

Ruby winced, rubbing her throat. “Hurts.”

The doctor pulled a small container from his pocket, handing it to Ruby. “We’ll also need to run a urinalysis as soon as possible.”

Ruby tilted her head. “Can you say that again in non-doctor speak?”

Blake leaned towards Ruby. “He wants you to pee in the cup,” she whispered. Ruby’s face flushed in embarrassment.

“It’ll take some time for the results to come back. We’ll have the nurses get started on her IV and blood sampling. Until then, I suggest she gets some rest,” the doctor continued, already making his way towards the door. “I’ll come to check on her once we get some results.”

As the door clicked shut behind him, Yang rolled her eyes. “Well that wasn’t very productive.”

Blake set her hand on Yang’s shoulder. “Give it time. General Ironwood said that these are some of the greatest medical minds in Atlas. I’m sure they’ll get things sorted out.”

Ruby squeezed Yang’s hand tightly. “Stay here for the shots,” she pleaded.

Yang chuckled, ruffling her hair. “We’re not going anywhere.”

Weiss put her hands on her hips. “You’re a huntress. They’re just needles!”

“But they’re scary,” Ruby whined. “How are you guys not scared of them?”

Weiss frowned, motioning to her stomach. “I’ve literally been impaled before!”

Blake raised her hand. “I’ve also been stabbed. Left a scar.”

Yang waved her robotic arm teasingly. Ruby rolled her eyes.

“Fiiine, I get it. Please stay, though!”

“We’re your team, Ruby. We’ll be here for you all the way through,” Blake assured.

Ruby smiled weakly, somewhat comforted at the thought. She couldn’t help worrying, though—she’d never been one for doctors. She shuddered at the thought of what treatments awaited her.

It didn’t help that she hadn’t gotten to tell the doctor exactly what made her coughing fits worse. It also didn’t help that she’d left that particular person standing terrified in the training room.


	2. Second Opinion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune offers a helping hand...and a new take on Ruby's ailment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ideally I'm gonna post all of this before Christmas so happy holidays

Ruby loathed the feeling of the IV, wincing each and every time she moved her right arm. The soft whirring of the pump on the pole annoyed her at first, but she breathed a sigh of relief as it slowly faded into background noise. More than that, she hated feeling hungry and thirsty. When she used to get sick at home, Yang had always treated her with hot soup and some comfort cookies, but now she had neither. Her mouth watered just thinking about it.

She shifted uncomfortably on the bed, struggling to find a suitable position to lay in without irritating her arm further. Her other arm was still stinging from the pain of the blood test, wrapped tightly in elastic gauze and straining against her skin each time she moved. Above all else, the shame of struggling to find an efficient way to pee into a cup had been the icing on the suffering cake. With her throat burning from all of the coughing and vomiting, she felt absolutely miserable. Her team had given her space to rest as they waited with baited breath for the test results, stepping out of the room and dimming the lights so she could sleep.

She groaned in aggravation, plopping her head back against the pillow. At least the X-ray had been easy.

A soft knock at the door caught her attention, and she struggled to sit up straight in her bed. “Uh, come in!” she called weakly.

As the door creaked open, a smiling face greeted her. “It’s just me,” Jaune reassured with a wave hello.

Ruby relaxed at the sight of a familiar face rather than another nurse. “Oh, thank goodness.”

“Thought I was bringing more needles?” he teased, pulling up a chair next to her bed.

She shuddered. “Please don’t remind me. These ones hurt enough,” she whined, thrusting her poor battered arms in front of her.

Jaune smiled, patting her head gently. “That’s why I came to help.”

Ruby returned his smile in earnest, her body tingling as his hands began to glow with a warm, white light. She closed her eyes, leaning back against the pillow. “Thanks, Jaune.”

He grinned, petting her hair gently as he worked. “No problem.”

She sighed in relief, content to feel the warmth of Jaune’s aura flow through her veins. She’d become particularly close with Jaune during their trek through Anima, and many a sleepless night had been spent with their sleeping bags adjacent, comforting one another after nightmares and caring for each other mutually. Jaune, in particular, had always fretted over her each time she got hurt, even when she’d only sustained a few scratches during a scuffle with the occasional Grimm. When he unlocked his semblance, his fawning had taken a new light, showering her with the pulse and comfort of his aura each time she was distressed. Even if her own aura was already strong and ready for action, the simple act of his transfer always put a smile on her face.

She smiled this time, too. She loved Yang to pieces, but she’d always wanted an older brother, as well.

Jaune winced at the sight of her arms upon closer inspection. “They really got you good, huh?”

She nodded sadly, keeping her eyes closed. “I just hope they figure this out. I feel like dirt.”

He placed his free hand on her shoulder, massaging gently as that hand began to glow as well. “They’ll figure everything out. You’ll be better in no time.”

“I hope so. I want to get back in action and help Mantle again.”

Jaune shook his head. “Don’t push yourself. Besides, they’ve got the Protector of Mantle with them, too.”

At the mention of her, Ruby coughed, a stray petal pushing past her lips and out onto her chest. Jaune’s eyes widened, and he pushed his own aura harder.

“You okay? Take it easy.”

Ruby nodded, her cheeks heating up. She fiddled with the hem of her blanket once more, peering up at Jaune in embarrassment. “Sorry.”

Jaune shook his head—although he had to admit, her little face poking out from under the blanket was kind of cute. “You know you don’t have to apologize for being sick, right?”

Ruby winced. “It’s more than that.”

“What do you mean?”

She took a deep breath, ignoring the feeling of her ears getting hot. “Can I tell you a secret?”

Jaune smiled. “Of course. You don’t even have to ask.”

Ruby took a deep breath, choosing her words carefully. “It...it gets worse when I think about...Penny.”

Jaune raised an eyebrow. “Penny? Why would it—“

“I don’t know!” she cried, pulling the blanket swiftly up over her face. “I didn’t get to finish telling the doctor. I don’t know why, but whenever I think about her, I start coughing even harder, and petals come out. I’m sure that’s not the only reason, but it makes it way worse.”

Jaune tilted his head. “Just Penny?”

“Just Penny.”

“Not Yang, or Blake, or me?”

He watched the blanket shift as Ruby shook her head beneath it. “Nope.”

He pondered for a moment, never letting up his aura flow. “And you said this started when you got to Atlas?”

She nodded beneath the blanket once more. “The first day we got here, my throat got all itchy and tingly. It just got worse from there.”

Jaune tapped her head with two glowing fingers. “Hey, isn’t that when you first saw Penny again?”

Ruby poked the top of her head out from under the blanket, two big, round, silver eyes peeking innocently at Jaune. _Still cute._

“Yeah, so?”

“So,” he continued, “that’s the day you got sick.”

She slid the rest of the blanket off of her face. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

Jaune sat up straight, moving his hands to Ruby’s shoulders so she could move her head. “One of my sisters is huge on reading. She had this one book about weird diseases and conditions and all that. I always thought it was really boring, but I took a peek at it once. Didn’t understand half of it, but there was one part that I remember vaguely.”

Ruby snorted. “You, reading doctor books?”

Jaune rolled his eyes playfully, poking Ruby’s cheek. “Hey, I could’ve been a doctor if I tried! Anyway, there was this one disease, sounded like a joke at first. Apparently, the person who had it would throw up flowers.”

Ruby’s eyes widened. “Flowers? How?”

Jaune shook his head. “I guess they still haven’t figured out exactly how it works, physically. But, basically, it could only be cured by confessing your love to the person you care about the most.”

Ruby’s face flushed. “Doing what?”

“Listen, this started when you got to Atlas, right?”

Ruby nodded. “Mhm.”

“And you saw Penny again when you first got here, right?”

“Mhm.”

“Aaaand you’ve been coughing up rose petals when you think about her, riiiight?”

“Mhmmmm,” Ruby exaggerated, her blood running cold as she gradually pieced his implications together. “Wait, you don’t think—“

“Be honest,” Jaune teased with a smile.

“I don’t! I mean, not really? Kinda? But not that much! Just a little, sorta, maybe? A tiny bit?”

He grinned. “A tiny bit.”

Ruby pinched her fingers together to punctuate her point. “Just a tiny bit!”

“You like her.”

Ruby frowned, but couldn’t seem to stop her face from heating up. “I do not!”

“A tiny bit,” he continued teasing.

“Okay, maybe a bit more than a tiny bit,” she muttered, shifting herself to a sitting position as best as she could without hurting her arms. “Just a little.”

“A little?”

“A lot,” she relented, groaning. “A whole lot. Immensely.”

Jaune beamed. “I had a feeling. Does she know?”

Ruby coughed, another petal slipping out of her mouth and onto the blanket. She blushed.

“Okay, she definitely doesn’t know.”

“So let me get this straight,” Ruby began. “You don’t think it’s my semblance acting up, you think it’s some weird freaky flower disease? From a book?”

Jaune flexed his fingers, which had begun to tingle uncomfortably from healing for so long—not that he planned to stop any time soon. “Not at all the weirdest thing that’s happened to us, to be fair.”

Ruby groaned. “And you think me telling Penny I like her is going to magically fix it?”

Jaune nodded sincerely. Ruby couldn’t believe he was being serious right now.

“How am I supposed to just tell her? That’s not something I can just say! What do I do, she comes in, and I just go “hey, Penny, by the way, I love you with all my heart, I have a big fat crush on you, and I can’t stop thinking about you all the time”? Do I have to ask her to be my girlfriend? What do I do if she accepts? Oh, no, what do I do if she _doesn’t_ accept? Will it get worse? Will I die from petals? Will I—“

“Hey, don’t work yourself up,” Jaune offered, squeezing her shoulders gently. “She’ll definitely accept.”

Ruby winced, her throat burning as she pushed back the urge to cough. “How can you be so sure?”

He smiled. “I’ve got a hunch.”

Ruby’s eyes widened with excitement that she couldn’t hide. “You think she...feels the same?”

“I think she’s head over heels for you, honestly. You know you’re her number one, right?” he spoke with a knowing smile.

Ruby’s heart warmed at the thought. “She’s always been such a good friend. I missed her so much.”

“And I’m sure she missed you, too. More than anyone else. You were her first real friend.”

Ruby’s face fell. “What happens if I’m wrong, though?”

Jaune reached down, squeezing both of Ruby’s hands, still pushing his aura out as much as he could. “You won’t be.”

Ruby smiled, softly and hopefully. “Guess I’ve got nothing to lose, huh?”

“Not unless you want to pee in another cup.”

She winced, feeling her ears get hot again. “No, please.”

Finally, Jaune pulled away, feeling his muscles relax at last as he stemmed the flow of his aura. “I’m gonna give you some time. Guessing you’ve got a lot to think about.”

“You’re sure that’s what this is? The flower disease?” she asked, her eyes following him towards the door.

Jaune nodded. “They can’t seem to explain it any other way. I’ve got a hunch.”

She smirked. “You’ve got a lot of hunches today.”

“And I’m gonna be right about every single one,” he teased, sticking his tongue out.

“Bet on it!” Ruby shot back, sticking her own tongue out in return.

Jaune chuckled as he stepped out of her room. “I do bet!”

Ruby smiled, her face genuine as the door clicked shut behind her. In the silence of solitude, however, her smile gradually slid off her face, and her heart pounded. Somehow, some way, she would have to come clean to Penny. She’d never considered herself a romantic, despite her interest in stories of heartfelt love and happily ever afters. She’d gotten through Beacon uneventfully, without any boyfriends or girlfriends to speak of, and her feelings for anyone were relatively tame and platonic in nature. Even Penny had fallen under the classification of a close friend, and her affection had been familial in nature, the same as her love for Team RWBY. Up until the Fall of Beacon, she’d considered her feeling strong but platonic. However, it had taken tragedy to make her realize the truth—losing Pyrrha was agonizing. Watching her sister suffer was unbearable. But Penny? Watching Penny get ripped to shreds fundamentally _ruined_ Ruby. Just the thought of that day made her shake with rage and heartache. By the time she’d realized her own feelings, it had been far too late.

But when she saw Penny again, alive and well as she hovered gracefully in the night sky above Mantle, her heart had soared, her soul had found peace, and her entire being had lit up like a candle. Penny was her light, and she’d do anything to protect the Protector.

Just the thought made me feel fuzzy and warm. She snuggled back under the blanket, her emotions a mess as she contemplated confessing her love.

—-

When Jaune stepped out of the room, his smile slipped off his face. He was all but 100% confident that Penny, affectionate and glued to Ruby as she was, would accept her love with open arms—and an even greater part of him was sure she’d reciprocate. However, a nagging thought in the back of his mind, the mere notion that he could be wrong, distressed him greatly. He hadn’t memorized that entire section of the book, and was honestly surprised he remembered quite as much as he did. Even so, he had a vague idea of what would happen if he was wrong.

His fears, however, dissipated as he bumped into something—someone—solid, bowing in apology for his mistake.

“Sorry, sorry, wasn’t watching where I was going. My bad.”

“No, no, the fault is all mine!” a worried voice reassured. “I’m terribly sorry!”

Jaune’s face fell. “Penny?”

Penny wrapped her arms around herself protectively, her slender gloved fingers wrapped tightly around a white ribbon. When Jaune’s eyes followed it upwards, he found a shiny metallic balloon—“Get Well Soon”, it read. In the corner, crudely drawn in marker, rested a caricature of Ruby, the curls atop her hair cartoonishly large. Jaune stifled a chuckle.

“You came to see Ruby?” he asked, his heart hopeful.

Penny nodded fervently, tugging on the string of the balloon. “I would’ve come right away, but I’ve heard it’s customary to present a gift of healing to a sick person. The first thing I thought of was flowers, but I thought it might be...topical.”

Jaune smiled brightly. “The balloon looks great, but I’m sure Ruby would’ve been happy just to see you, present or not.”

Penny cracked a tiny smile at the praise. “Do you think she’ll like the balloon?”

“She’ll love the balloon.”

Penny openly beamed, but her smile quickly faded as she remembered why she was there. “How is she doing?”

Jaune shook his head. “She doesn’t feel very well. She’s not much of a needle person. They’ve got her on lines and whatnot.”

At the sight of Penny’s face contorting in concern, Jaune quickly changed his tone. “She’s going to be okay, though! She definitely needs to see you. She’ll love the company.”

“You think so?” Penny asked hopefully.

Jaune clasped one hand on her shoulder comfortingly. “I know so.”

With newfound determination, Penny gathered her courage, stepping up to the door of Ruby’s room, taking a deep breath before extending one hand towards the wood.

—-

Another knock at the door had Ruby shuffling to sit straight up again, wincing as the IV tugged at her arm again. “Come in, Jaune,” she called.

She stretched as the door creaked open slowly, moving as slowly as she could in order to avoid unnecessary pain in her arms. “Did you change your mind about the bet? Thought you’d never—“

When she cracked her eyes open, she audibly gasped, her heart pounding in her chest like a drum. Standing awkwardly in the doorway was Penny, stiff with her feet together.

She waved feebly, extending the balloon in front of her as an offering.

“Surprise,” she offered feebly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The IV bags are filled with fluids and lesbian juice 
> 
> Deus ex Jauneica also since I adore Jaune Arc with all my heart and will always find a way to make him important fuck me


	3. Third Time's the Charm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's do or die. Literally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of intubation. Also immense Ruby suffering.

Much to Ruby’s distress, it seemed like the moment of truth had come far, far sooner than she’d expected it to.

“Penny! You’re... _here!"_ she cried, her heart thumping loudly enough that she worried if Penny could hear it.

Penny waved again. “I’m _here!"_ she echoed, her nervousness laid bare on her face. “I brought you a balloon!”

“Thank you! You can put it right there on the table! I... _appreciate_ your balloon!” Ruby spoke stiffly, her tone strained. “Come inside, sit!”

“Okay, I will! I will _sit!"_ Penny echoed again, matching Ruby’s tone as she hobbled into the room, awkwardly plopping the balloon’s weight onto the nightstand before easing into the chair.

Ruby fidgeted with the hem of her blanket again. Penny, in turn, wrung her hands, again. Both sat in loaded silence, and both struggled to find conversational topics.

“Do you need me to get you anything?” Penny finally offered, her voice static.

“No, no, I’m fine!” Ruby insisted, shaking her head.

“Cold water?”

“Can’t drink.”

“Sandwich?”

“Can’t eat.”

“Blankets?”

“Already got some.”

“Bedpan?”

“Eww, Penny, I’m not _that_ bad.”

“Sponge bath?”

Ruby blushed.

“No, I’m fine, I’m fine! I can wash myself, I promise!” she cried. “I’m happy just to have you next to me.”

“Really?” Penny asked excitedly, beaming. Ruby’s heart filled with love and adoration at the sight of her smile.

Then she vomited again.

Ruby hacked and coughed, another stream of rose petals erupting from her throat and onto the bed. Penny gasped, reaching over to squeeze Ruby’s hand as she threw up.

“Are you okay? Should I go get someone? Are you in pain?” she asked, panicking.

Ruby shook her head fervently, but the feeling of Penny’s hand in her own only sent her into another coughing fit. Each time she tried to speak, her words were replaced with petals, practically pouring from her mouth like a waterfall. She choked, gasping for air as her lungs burned. Penny’s eyes went wide, and she didn’t hesitate to press the alarm bell on the wall above Ruby’s head.

“Ruby, help is on the way! It’ll be alright!” she reassured, brushing Ruby’s hair aside from her cheeks with one gloved finger. Ruby’s eyes met Penny’s own, her silver eyes watering with both the exertion of vomiting and the stress on her heart. The tender motion was enough to prompt another coughing fit, petals propelled upwards as they slid down the sides of her face.

“Penny,” she croaked out in between coughs. “I’m okay, really. I’ll be fine.”

“You’re not fine! You’re sick, and I don’t know how to help! I came in and you only got worse!” she cried, clasping Ruby’s cheeks with both hands. Leaning forward to touch her forehead to Ruby’s own, she closed her eyes, stroking Ruby’s hair gently.

That was enough. Ruby sprang forward, sitting straight up and clutching at her throat as she retched, another stream of petals spewing forward—and with it, thick, dark clumps of blood, splattering the blanket with splotches of red. Penny cried out in horror.

The door to the room flung open, the doctor and a trail of nurses bursting forward and crowding around the bed. Behind them, Team RWBY and Team JNPR pushed themselves into the doorway, packed like sardines as they watched the medical personnel get to work. One nurse rushed past them with a cart piled high with medical instruments, and Penny’s eyes widened in fear. She moved her chair further back to accommodate the doctors, but never once let go of Ruby’s hand.

“What’s the toxicology report?” the doctor cried, shifting into emergency mode as he ripped the blanket off Ruby.

One nurse inspected her IV, twisting and pulling at the line as she pressed a multitude of buttons on the pump. “Negative. Nothing in her system.”

“Blood panels?”

“Nothing there,” another nurse answered, already unloading monitors and IV bags from the cart. “No antibodies. She’s not viral.”

“And the X-rays?” he called.

A third nurse had already begun connecting Ruby to a portable heart monitor, lifting her hospital gown up to splatter her chest with stickers. Ruby shifted her body, rolling onto her side in embarrassment to shield her naked body from Penny. “Her lungs are weak. The tissue is a mess, and she's on the verge of bilateral pneumothorax. Most of all, they’re filled to the brim with flower petals, somehow.”

The doctor froze, thinking rapidly as he surveyed Ruby’s condition--she'd deteriorated rapidly in the past several minutes alone. Ruby curled up into a ball, her fingers still interlaced with Penny’s. Her body felt weak, and she hated having doctors and nurses staring at her. Her eyes pooled with tears. Each gasp for air was a struggle, her chest tightening painfully as she struggled to suck in oxygen. Everything hurt, she couldn't breathe, and she wanted to cry. 

Finally, the doctor turned back towards the other nurses. “Get me a bronchodilator and a supplemental oxygen tank. I also want a pneumococcal test done immediately. Keep a ventilator on standby, just in case. If she stops breathing at any point, I want her intubated right away.”

Ruby’s eyes went wide in terror. She wasn’t familiar with doctor speak, but she definitely knew what that one meant.

“No!” Jaune cried, pushing his way through the door and past the nurses. Racing to Ruby’s side, he dropped to his knees next to the bed, his hands already gleaming with brilliant swirls of bright light. “She doesn’t need to be intubated!”

Jaune rested both hands on Ruby’s head, his own eyes watering as he saw the fear in Ruby’s own. “It’s gonna be okay,” he reassured her. “You have to tell her. It’ll be alright.”

“Jaune,” she pleaded, “I can’t! I can’t stand the idea of being wrong, of messing everything up!”

“You have to!” he cried. “Because if you don’t, you’re going to keep getting worse! You have to at least try! This is serious, Ruby, you could die!”

“Nobody’s dying any time soon,” a gruff voice called from the door. “And I’d appreciate if you clowns didn’t keep scaring the hell out of my niece.”

“Uncle Qrow,” she cried, reaching her free hand forward towards the sound. Qrow, too, had pushed his way past the nurses, much to the doctor’s disapproval and ensuing glares. He squeezed her other hand, kneeling down on the other side of the bed.

“I gotcha, kiddo. Came running as soon as I heard the news. Oscar, too. What the hell’s goin’ on here?”

“She’s coughing up rose petals, and she’s in bad shape. They said her lungs are giving out. Even made comments about intubating her,” Jaune explained quickly, focusing on his aura as much as possible.

“Oh, absolutely not. No one’s getting intubated,” he growled.

“But sir,” the doctor pleaded, “if we don’t at least consider the possibility, her lungs will collapse, and she could stop breathing altogether, if—“

“I said _no,_ ” he snarled. “I’m her legal guardian, and I say no. You’re all jumping to conclusions, so eager to go to the most extreme options first.” _Just like the rest of the military,_ he thought, biting his tongue with great difficulty.

“You better leave her alone!” Yang cried, trying her best to squeeze past the doorway and into the room as well. “You’re not putting her on a damn tube!”

Blake gripped Yang’s arm tightly, holding her back from storming the room—her hair was already starting to flare. “Yang, Qrow is handling it. Leave it to him,” she pleaded.

Ruby closed her eyes, overwhelmed by the noise and commotion, everyone yelling over one another and the aggravating sound of the heart monitor beeping rapidly. Her body was being poked and prodded every which way, and hot tears began to slip down her face along with the rose petals themselves.

“Ruby,” a tiny voice murmured, shaking as it spoke. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have come in, I made you worse, I’m making everything worse, I’m sorry—“

Ruby turned her head to the side, and the sight she was greeted with broke her heart. Penny’s face had contorted in worry, and her hands trembled against Ruby’s own. Out of the corner of Ruby’s eye, the balloon on the nightstand sparkled as the light of the room shimmered off of it. Spinning slowly towards the back, she caught sight of a cute, poorly-drawn picture of what appeared to be...her, drawn with great love and care.

Her heart surged, and she turned on her side to face Penny head-on, pushing her words out in between coughs and labored breaths.

“I wanted you here! I always, always will want you here!” she cried with surprising clarity, her coughs stilling to a loaded silence. The room quieted, observing the sudden changes in her condition with baited breath. Her heart monitor still beeped rapidly, and she blushed—everyone could hear how fast her heart was going, Penny included.

“Go on,” Jaune whispered, a soft smile on his face.

“I-I always want you here. With me. I want to spend every day with you. I was so happy to see you again, and my heart is so happy every time I see you,” she continued, her voice wavering.

Penny’s eyes sparkled with every word, and it only emboldened Ruby more.

“You’re the highlight of every day for me. You’re what keeps me going, through the good and bad times,” she went on, her voice growing confident. “I want to be with you. I want you to know that I...”

She trailed off, her eyes flickering to Jaune. Jaune nodded, silently encouraging her.

“I...I love you, Penny. I _love_ love you. With all my heart, and I always will. I want to love you with everything I’ve got. I want to be together with you.”

Ruby tensed, equally relieved and terrified. Her coughs had stopped, her throat burning with the strain of hacking that had only truly hit her once she’d stopped. A trickle of blood streamed down her chin from the corner of her mouth, and her head felt heavy, sweet oxygen flooding her lungs as she inhaled without difficulty. Regardless, she pushed herself to focus solely on Penny, to drink in the way that her face lit up in realization, the gentle dusting of red settling upon her porcelain face. She was beautiful.

“Ruby, I...I don’t know what to say,” Penny stammered. “I’ve never...no one’s ever...”

“It’s okay,” Ruby reassured with a weak smile. “I’ve never confessed to anyone, either.”

Penny’s lips slowly curved upwards into a gentle smile. “You really mean it?”

Ruby nodded, lightheaded and struggling to stay awake. “I mean it more than anything I’ve ever said.”

Penny beamed, squeezing Ruby’s hand tightly. “I...I love you, too,” she murmured.

Ruby’s relief was instant, her excitement betrayed only by her weakness. If she was more stable, she’d surely have jumped for joy—instead, her eyes slowly fluttered shut, content to let Jaune’s aura wash over her in waves. Even with her eyes shut, she could feel a certain warmth against her cheek—Penny’s warmth—as she planted a delicate kiss to the little huntress’s skin.

With her hands in Penny’s, she peacefully drifted off into sleep, no petals and no coughing to be found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought intubation/ventilators might be a sensitive topic given the current climate so just in case 
> 
> Can you tell I work in a hospital yet


	4. Final Catharsis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love is love, in sickness and in health.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Christmas

When Ruby awoke, her room had long since cleared of doctors, nurses, and angry family members. Her heart monitor beeped, her IV pump whirred, her arms ached, her throat hurt, and her head pounded—but she wasn’t coughing, and her breaths came far easier. She closed her eyes in relief, grateful for the silence even if she still felt weak. She moved to stretch, but found one hand occupied with something soft and velvety.

At her side, Penny had never moved from her seat, her face lighting up as Ruby turned towards her. She clasped Ruby’s hand in her own tightly, intertwining their fingers together.

“You’re awake,” she breathed.

Ruby nodded. “I feel a little better.”

“I was so worried about you,” Penny murmured, her voice shaking. “How did you even get sick?”

Ruby smirked. “It’s a long story. What matters is that I’m not coughing anymore.”

Penny nodded fervently in agreement, the curls of her hair bouncing. “They ran another X-ray while you were asleep—they brought the whole machine in here and everything! Isn’t the technology of Atlas amazing?”

Ruby chuckled. “Yeah, it’s something else, alright. What’d it say?”

Penny beamed. “They said there’s been a dramatic change! The petals that were still in your lungs have shriveled up into tiny little balls. They said you should cough up the last of them naturally in the next few days. It’s a miracle!”

Ruby rolled her eyes. Some miracle.

Ruby’s eyes roamed towards the door—beside it, someone had parted the curtains to a window peeking out into the hallway. She had quite the entourage sitting outside—Team RWBY and Team JNPR crowded the window as soon as she sat up, pushing past one another to get a glimpse at her. Qrow had somehow managed to push himself to the front, worry etched into his face. Ruby raised her hand to wave, but before she could even extend her fingers, Qrow had been unceremoniously shoved to the side by two little hands pushing at his legs. Ruby laughed as Oscar pressed his face against the window, waving fervently.

She beamed. She was so grateful for her family.

She turned her attention back towards Penny, whose look of admiration set her heart aflutter—and the heart monitor. She blushed.

“Your heartbeat sounds healthy and wonderful!” Penny exclaimed proudly, beaming.

Ruby laughed nervously, scratching her head in embarrassment. “Thank you? I think?”

With her coughing absent and nothing to fret over, Penny’s mood had shifted dramatically, and she practically oozed affection. “I love your heartbeat, because it’s a part of you! And I love you very much! In fact, I _love_ love you!”

Butterflies swarmed in Ruby’s stomach. She’d all but forgotten her words from her petal-induced stupor. It was very possible that Jaune saved her life by telling her about the disease, but equal credit went to Penny for accepting her love. She smiled warmly at the memory of Penny’s reaction.

“I...I’m sorry I dumped all that on you at the same time. I’m not exactly skilled with love stuff,” Ruby muttered in embarrassment.

Penny only smiled in return. “I, too, am not versed in love stuff. We can learn love stuff together, as datemates!”

Ruby blinked. “Datemates?”

“Dating partners!” Penny exclaimed excitedly. “Partners who go on dates. We have many dates we must go on to catch up! Your friends are already datemates, and we must not be outmatched by anyone!”

Ruby tilted her head. “Wait, who’s already datemates?”

Penny tilted her head in return. “You didn’t know about Blake and Yang?”

Ruby blushed. That explained a lot.

More so, at her description of datemates, Ruby’s blush deepened, her whole face reddening like a tomato. “Wait, datemates? Like, _datemates_ datemates? Girlfriends? You want to be—“

“Yes, girlfriends!” Penny shouted, elated. “I didn’t realize there was another word, but girlfriends it is!”

Ruby stammered, her hands clammy, suddenly shy about her own confession. “Penny, I-I-I, uh...”

Rather than be deterred, however, Penny cradled Ruby’s hand in both of her own, dropping to one knee on the floor. “Miss Ruby Rose, if it is alright with you, I would like to become girlfriends,” she spoke proudly.

Ruby’s silver eyes shimmered, and she would’ve thought her heart stopped if not for the rapid beeping of the monitor reminding her that yes, she was still very much alive, and this moment was very much real.

“Y-Yes, of course! I would love to be your girlfriend!” Ruby cried.

“Yay!” Penny cried in excitement, throwing herself on top of Ruby with a force that made her wince, her body still frail. “I can’t wait to go on dates together, and hold hands together, and—oh, I forgot about one.”

Cutting herself off, Penny straddled Ruby’s waist, leaning down to gently press her lips against Ruby’s own. Initially, Ruby yelped behind the kiss, alarmed at the sudden contact, but slowly relaxed as she wrapped her arms around Penny’s back. Ignoring the tug of the IV against her arm, Ruby snaked her hands up and into Penny’s hair, tangling her fingers in Penny’s red curls happily. Her heart soared, and a wave of happiness unlike any she’d ever experienced washed over her weary body. She was so immersed and awash in love and adoration that she hadn’t even heard the click of the door handle turning.

“Am I interrupting something?” Jaune called from the doorway, waving nervously.

Ruby jumped, rushing to push Penny off her. Penny, however, refused to budge, instead looking over her shoulder and returning Jaune’s wave in ignorant bliss. Ruby buried her face in her hands, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. When she realized the window was still wide open, she wanted to die.

“Get a room!” Nora shouted.

“This _is_ my room!” Ruby shouted back.

Jaune laughed, pulling the door shut behind him. “Are you feeling okay? Need any extra aura?”

Ruby struggled to wiggle out from under Penny, who had still not taken the hint and was content to sit on top of her forever, it seemed. “I mean, I’ve got enough, but I’ll never turn down an aura transfer session, you know that.”

Jaune smiled. “I think you’re already being taken care of. Keep it up, Nurse Penny,” he teased.

Penny shook her head, finally pushing herself back off the bed (and thereby giving Ruby some free space to breathe), “Oh, no, I am not a licensed nurse. I may be the protector of Mantle, but I would never perform medical care without a license. Instead, I am offering healing through love, as Ruby’s new datemate!”

Jaune smirked, eyeing Ruby triumphantly. “Datemates, huh?”

Ruby blushed, but couldn’t stop a smile from creeping up onto her face. Jaune’s hunch had been spot-on—both of them. “Girlfriends.”

“Now we are the second pair of datemates in Team RWBY!”

Jaune raised an eyebrow, confused. “Wait, who’s the first?”

“Blake and Yang,” Ruby and Penny spoke simultaneously.

Ruby smirked at Jaune’s blush this time. “Penny’s sharper than she looks.”

“Listen,” Jaune said, changing the subject as he sat on the bed beside Ruby. “I’m happy for you two. And I’m happy you’re feeling better. Qrow said he wants to wait a few more days to be sure everything’s okay, but you’ll be out of here before you know it.”

Ruby winced. “No more shots?” she asked hopefully.

Jaune laughed, patting her head affectionately. “No more shots. And Yang’s already working on some soup.”

Ruby’s eyes sparkled at the mention of food. Penny smiled brightly at her expression.

“It seems I must learn how to cook in order to be an effective girlfriend! I will begin researching the process immediately. Perhaps I can pick up a thing or two from your sister!” Penny spoke excitedly.

“One thing at a time,” Ruby pleaded, a smile on her face. “For now, I’m just happy to have you by my side.”

Penny smiled genuinely, and the image of her smile was more effective medicine than Ruby could’ve ever asked for.

—-

Just as Qrow had insisted, it took two more days before Ruby was finally released from the medical bay, her arms bandaged up and her frail body squished into a wheelchair, much to her dismay. Team RWBY had insisted she take it easy with physical exertion, including walking, for a while, and were not taking no for an answer. Each night, Jaune resumed his exaggerated fawning over Ruby, showering her with aura transfers and careful attention. The medical bay personnel had requested Ruby return for additional research of her condition, but Team RWBY had sprang to her defense there as well—almost physically, in Yang’s case—as they refused to subject her to additional medical torment.

When asked about her condition, Jaune filled Team RWBY and the rest of Team JNPR in on the nature of Ruby’s flower disease, explaining the lack of connection to her semblance and the eventual cure. While they’d been initially skeptical, Oscar had reminded everyone that the existence of the maidens and the relics had been far harder to believe. Truly, anything was possible.

As for Ruby, her recovery came about slowly, but as expected. True to the doctor’s word, the remaining petals, now shriveled up and withered, passed naturally through coughing over the next several days, uncomfortable but not particularly painful compared to the fresh petals from before. As for her post-hospital care, she had no shortage of caretakers eager to aid her with everything imaginable—including one in particular.

“And those ones are peonies. And these ones are lilies! And over there we have—“

“Penny, don’t you think I’ve seen enough flowers for a little while?” Ruby teased from her wheelchair.

“But they say that nature is one of the greatest healers! Isn’t it impressive that we can grow such beautiful flowers up in Atlas?” Penny insisted, energetically pushing Ruby’s wheelchair around the garden outside the medical bay.

Ruby had to admit, Atlas’s ability to grow plants at such a high altitude was impressive, but she couldn’t help feeling a little ill at the sight of so many fresh flowers. “I appreciate the trip, really, but I’m not sure if—“

“Besides,” Penny continued, “it’s our first date as girlfriends!”

Ruby blushed. She wasn’t wrong.

“Okay,” she relented with a smile. “We can keep going. Just...can we go somewhere with vegetables, or herbs, or trees? I think I need a bit of a break from flowers for a bit.”

“Of course, girlfriend!” Penny exclaimed, bending over to peck Ruby’s cheek quickly. Ruby slapped her hand over her cheek, blushing as she savored the residual warmth.

“Glad to see you’re doing well,” a soft voice called from across the garden. Ruby smiled, waving at Blake as she approached the girls.

“Hey, Blake. Out for a walk?”

Blake nodded, smiling. “It’s a lovely day. I’m very impressed with the flowers.”

“Please don’t say flowers,” Ruby pleaded.

Penny beamed. “Are you out and about with your datemate?”

“What’s a datemate?” Yang asked, jogging up to Blake’s side. “Good to see you out and about, Ruby.”

Ruby smiled, waving half-heartedly. “Good to be out again.”

“I knew you were out with your datemate!” Penny exclaimed. “It’s so wonderful to have other datemates to socialize with. Perhaps we can embark on a double datemate day at some point in the future!”

Blake’s ears perked up, and she raised an eyebrow at Ruby. Ruby smirked knowingly, motioning with two fingers at both Blake and Yang.

Their blushes were practically synchronized, but they didn’t dare deny it. Ruby snickered.

“Listen, we just needed some sunshine,” Yang argued defensively.

Ruby didn’t relent. “ _Sure_ you did.”

Yang flushed, stamping her foot. “You can’t prove that!”

Blake pecked Yang’s cheek, shutting her up immediately. “Now she can.”

The look on Ruby’s face drove Yang insane.

“Congratulations, you two,” Blake continued, either ignorant to or purposely ignoring Yang, whose face was absolutely steaming. “Penny, I trust that you’ll treat our leader well.”

“And I trust that you’ll treat my sister well,” Ruby shot back smugly, still riding the high of being right. Blake averted her eyes, embarrassed.

Penny saluted, indifferent to the general atmosphere of embarrassment pervading the three huntresses equally. “Don’t worry, Blake, I will not let you down! I will treat Ruby with all of the love in my heart.”

It was Ruby’s turn to blush, but Yang and Blake only offered her looks of love and support. She smiled, grateful to be surrounded with love from every direction.

She cast her eyes over to the flowerbed, her gaze lingering on a patch of red roses, vibrant and lively as they swayed in the gentle breeze that passed her by. Despite all that happened, she couldn’t hate them—even if they ravaged her body, she had to thank them for saving her soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We keep the bees in the garden where they fucking belong

**Author's Note:**

> Hanahaki time boys let's fucking go I've been waiting forever to write this shit


End file.
